The new Mr Arsenal: Why Jack Wilshere will be the club's heartbeat for many years to come

After interviewing the young Gunner last week, Matt Law is convinced he can be their Steven Gerrard

When Thomas Vermaelen struck the post with his penalty at Bradford, my first thought was a selfish one: 'It's off.'

Jack Wilshere had agreed to be interviewed by a group of Sunday newspaper journalists less than 24 hours after Arsenal's Capital One Cup trip to Bradford.

No doubt Arsenal had assumed Wilshere would be talking about a place in the semi-finals and the prospect of winning a trophy with his beloved club.

So when Arsenal were dumped out by a League Two side, the common assumption among the invitees was that the event would be rescheduled.

It was a welcome and unexpected surprise when the text message came through from the organisers that Wilshere would be fulfilling his commitment.

And it was an even greater treat when we sat down with Wilshere to find a 20-year-old willing to accept the great responsibility that has been placed on his young shoulders and provide some light in what had been a pretty dark week.

Shaun Botterill

I'm alright, Jack! Wilshere in action

Wilshere did not duck a single issue – whether it was Arsenal's trophy drought, Arsene Wenger's suitability to still be manager, his own future, the captaincy or whether the club's foreign players had even known where Bradford was.

It was a masterclass. Wilshere did not offer up excuses or get annoyed with the questions, he just simply gave his honest opinion and explanations - as you can read, here.

There was no glance behind him to his waiting agent after being directly asked whether he would sign the new contract Arsenal had offered him. And there was no 'let's call it a day' nod to the club press officer when Wenger's future was put to him.

It was a reminder of how Frank Lampard is often the go to man when Chelsea lose, how Steven Gerrard accepts the responsibility of being Liverpool and England's playing spokesman, and how Sir Alex Ferguson has always relied on a heavy British influence at Manchester United.

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Iconic: Jack's number 10 shirt

This is what Arsenal have been lacking for so long, a British icon who has a real connect with the club and an appreciation of his responsibility to the fans.

Barcelona and Real Madrid supporters idolise Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but they cherish their Spanish stars. Without them, there is no heartbeat to the clubs.

Robin van Persie was incredible for Arsenal last season, but the Dutchman's contract situation always gave the impression he came first and the club second.

Cesc Fabregas never attempted to hide his desire to return to his spiritual home of Barcelona. Thierry Henry is an Arsenal legend in every sense of the word, but the Frenchman certainly did his best to rewrite the word 'team' with a letter 'I'.

Paul Thomas

Jack Wilshere of Arsenal

Not since the days of Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn have Arsenal had a real British leader in their ranks - but Wilshere is just that.

He will not simply become the face of the club, but he will also be the voice of the team and that is why it is so vital Wilshere is on the verge of signing a new contract that will commit the midfielder to the Emirates for over five years.

Having painfully seen the trend of Henry, Fabregas, Van Persie and all the other foreign stars quitting Arsenal, no matter how close their bond to the club had become, Wenger has tried to create a new British core.

Following the example of the old Arsenal teams and rivals United and Chelsea, Wenger hopes Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson and even Theo Walcott will spend their entire careers at the Emirates.

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Kicking back: Jack relaxes in training

It may look like a pipe dream at the moment, particularly in the case of Walcott, but in Wilshere Arsenal genuinely have a player who can kiss the club badge and nobody can question his sincerity.

Having admitted his ambition is to eventually captain Arsenal to a trophy, Wilshere was quick to make it clear he was not talking up his case to take the armband immediately.

It may not be far off, however. Armband or no armband, Wilshere is already Arsenal's leader.

The remainder of the season will go a long way to proving whether Wenger has lost his mojo. But we already know Arsenal once again have a heartbeat and it is Wilshere.